Oktava Movie Set Edition or AKG ck93

squareal

squareal

New member
First off I'd like to apologise for bringing up the Oktava MK 012 mics again.
I need some assistance in helping me make up my mind. I'm looking for a hypercardioid for indoor work (mainly dialogue) and a budget of no more than £300
Currently I'm going to and fro between the Oktava MK012 Movie set edition with the low cut pad and the AKG SE300B with the ck93 capsule.

The issues I'm all too aware of is that the Oktava are notorious for sensitivity to wind. If I bought the Oktava, and used it with a BBG and Rycote Invision mount, would this curtail the noise issues.
This all costs about £285 in total. I already have a Gitzo GB1540 carbon fiber boom which I'm hoping should help regarding noise.

The other option is to go for the AKG, and that comes to about £271 but that rules out buying the BBG. I haven't heard any info regarding the AKG and wind sensitivity so I'm not sure I would even need the BBG for indoor work.

Any help and advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks
 
Moving the mic through still air still generates "wind." Doesn't matter if it air moving over the mic or the mic moving through the air, the effect is the same. And all hypers are more sensitive to air movement than would be omnis.
 
A BBG is nice for sure, but even with the 012, it's overkill for most interior scenes. I use a $5 foamy in most instances. An outdoor porch scene may be a different story though, for those, an Olsen Windtech US-2 offers decent protection for far less. I came across this from a 2004 post which may be helpful. http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-20904.html
Other than that, a Zeppelin set-up is recommended for exteriors. (with a shotgun of course)
 
I've used a mk012 on a boom for dialogue on a few shorts, and unless the movements are big/fast, a foamy should suffice for indoor use (the suspension is more important, and the invision is recommended). If you would find that it picks up wind noise, a small furry would probably solve that and doesn't cost much.

I've heard some good things about the AKG for the price, but haven't used one. Some people think it's a little noisy for low stuff.

There seems to be much praise for the audix scx-1 hc, but it might be just above your price limit unless you can find a good deal.
 
Thanks for the advice. I use a Rode NTG2 with the Rode Blimp for outdoor stuff. Unfortunately I learned the hard way about using a shotgun indoor. Made even worse as the room was as reverberant as it could be. Oh and it was for a prime time show.
 
Just a follow up question.
The Movie set version has a low cut pad. Is this necessary when I have a -1, -4 and -10db cut at 100hz on my SQN mixer. Just wondering if there is an advantage of having a filter at the mic end before it reaches the mixer.
 
I've used the AKG extensively in nasty exterior conditions, it is a very war-zone worthy choice, the built in attenuator and cut are also handy. The Oktava is a Schoeps wannabe and I've used tracks from good examples that sound damn good, lots of sample variation though. If you can't afford a Schoeps or an mkh 50, the AKG is a reliable and proven choice. We made a Rycote softie work on the AKG without too much problem.
 
Just started reading about the Avatone ck 1. Anyone have any experience with this mic. The price is rediculously cheap. £124 in the UK and that includes three capsules and a shock mount.
Sounds too good to be true.
 
I've had my eye on the avantone ck-1 too, but for recording FX. It seems to be a good value for the price and is liked in the taper community, but few people seem to have used it for dialogue. I'd love to hear more about it.

Another similarly priced mic I'm looking at is the studio projects C4, which also comes with the three basic capsules. It has a pretty good reputation, with many musicians preferring it to the popular rode nt5.
 
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I haven't used an Avatone CK 1. (or the SP C4) FWIW, the CK 1's factory specs 'look' decent, so why spend around $2k on a Schoeps when a CK-1 is around $50. But you usually get what you pay for.
 
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I haven't used an Avatone CK 1. (or the SP C4) FWIW, the CK 1's factory specs 'look' decent, so why spend around $2k on a Schoeps when a CK-1 is around $50. But you usually get what you pay for.
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I absolutely agree that you get what you pay for, and I have my eye on some MKH-mics in the future. My interest with these low-budget options is more as an entry level kit for testing different capsules on different applications, stereo techniques etc. I can purchase better stuff when I know more about what I like and want, and then the low budget stuff can be used as backups or when doing something that might hurt the mic.
 
Just received my Oktava MK012 Movie Set Edition mic and it sounds great. No boom handling noise, tiny amount of wind noise but only when I swing the pole aggressively. For anyone else in a dilemma about buying this mic I would suggest in having a good boom pole, got myself a Gitzo, and a great shock mount, got the Rycote Invision 7 which is rediculously cheap considering the quality.

One happy dude. ATM. You know what life is like. It does tend to punch you in the nuts when you're standing tall and confident.
 
Rick R said:
I haven't used an Avatone CK 1. (or the SP C4) FWIW, the CK 1's factory specs 'look' decent, so why spend around $2k on a Schoeps when a CK-1 is around $50. But you usually get what you pay for.
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Not sure where you saw $50. The best price I can find is $150
 
"Not sure where you saw $50. The best price I can find is $150"
- As I recall, Avatone was selling them at AES, a pair for $100. So I assumed that was about the going price. Though I suppose I could have mistaken the manufacturer. Sorry if I caused anyone angst.
$150 is still pretty freak'n cheap.
 
Just jumping in as a user of the AKG 300b w/CK93 head. Excellent mic for the price and very cheap on the used market. I think I paid $300 or so total for the combo from two separate auctions. Low handling noise and I didn't notice any problems with low dialogue. The controls on the mic are a nice touch.
 
Out of curiosity I looked up some comparisons involving the CK-1, unfortunately for music but it's better then nothing.

Comparison on flute and piano. The other mics are much more expensive though.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remo...mparative-samples-mc930-km184-at4051-xxx.html

Comparisons exist on female and male song, guitar, and some fx, but I would skip the singers... Lots of different mics, many in the lower budget.
http://testing.holmerup.biz/microphones/

In these, the CK-1 falls a bit behind many others in my opinion. I find it hard to put my finger on why, but "flat" and "undetailed" comes to mind - not in the same league as MK012 or SP4. It might be a bad mic or sample though, and I hope I'll find more examples or get a chance to use one myself, as there's been quite some praise for the mic.
 
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